HAWAIIAN MODERN

Hawaiian Modern

Boettcher Residence (1937) Ossipoff oriented houses to maximize cross breezes (to avoid the need for air-conditioning) and minimize the amount of earth disturbed in construction. This early house contains some elements that would eventually be his trademarks: steeply pitched roofs to facilitate natural air circulation and sweeping oriental-style eaves to provide shade and rain protection for large windows.
(photo: Victoria Sambunaris)

Liljestrand House (1952) Ossipoff let the stunning views from a hillside in Makiki Heights, Honolulu, speak for themselves by turning entire walls into windows. He also used local wood and volcanic stone for the decks and the chimney.
(photo: Victoria Sambunaris)

Liljestrand House (1952) This is the view from the house overlooking the pool and downtown Honolulu from Makiki Heights.
(photo: Robert Wenkam)

Goodsill House (1952) Ossipoff regularly featured the concept of the native Hawaiian lanai—the thatched-roofed and open-sided shelter where daily life traditionally took place. The climate allows people to linger outside all year round, so Ossipoff removed walls and built overhanging eaves to shield interiors from sun and rain.
(photo: Victoria Sambunaris)

William H. Hill House (1954) Ossipoff liked to work Japanese elements into his designs. Here he used sliding doors as walls, which could turn a living room into a lanai instantaneously.
(photo: Victoria Sambunaris)

Pauling House (1957) In this house, Ossipoff emphasized local materials through his use of random-rubble masonry and timber roofs. The wraparound porch with sliding-door walls also underlines the house's constant interaction with the surrounding environment.
(photo: Victoria Sambunaris)

Blanche Hill House (1961) Though since demolished, this was one of Ossipoff's most dramatic house designs. It seemed to float above the ground and to render walls unnecessary; the sliding and folding panels could be fully removed. Ossipoff himself called this his "most Hawaiian house.
(photo: Robert Wenkam)

Ossipoff House (1958) Ossipoff's own home was an example of the same lanai concept he featured in his commissioned houses: floor-to-ceiling windows, sliding-door walls, and overhanging eaves that reduced the need for any walls at all.
(photo: Robert Wenkam)

Ossipoff House (1958) Ossipoff often used furniture to emphasize the horizontal lines and the Eastern influences within his designs.
(photo: Robert Wenkam)

IBM Building (1962) Ossipoff also created monumental structures for corporate clients. For IBM's Honolulu headquarters, Ossipoff is said to have modeled the grid façade of the building on a 1960s-era computer punch card.
(photo: Robert Wenkam)

Outrigger Canoe Club (1963) Ossipoff's design for this Waikiki institution uses precast concrete beams to support an open-air structure that welcomes the elements on all sides.
(photo: Victoria Sambunaris)

Honolulu International Airport (1970-1978) Though many of Ossipoff's renovations have been compromised by later additions, his covered walkways and inner and outdoor courtyards remain some of the best examples of site-specific civic architecture.
(photo: J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive Research Library at the Getty Research Institute)

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